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May (46,090) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Thank you so much for the sweet post, it was really very nice of you. And I am also glad you understood my point without taking it as a hate message to Mariah. That's all I wanted, that the least Mariah can do is just say anything at all because at the moment her fans are quite confused about what's going on. I completely understand that she may want to spend time with her family, she is human too after all. So just saying that directly would be fine. Most of us want to know what's going on especially since we were told that "there is a plan for this album and even though it started with low sales it will pick up and sell millions" or "there is stuff going on that's bigger than JD and MC and we will get to know about it real soon". All these gave us, or at least me, some hope that maybe there is some plan which is taking time to implement but alas, nothing. Anyways May, thank you again for the post. It really made me happy. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 13:42)

Failed anticipation (46,089) by May from Denmark You are right this_is_qhm. She was doomed since beginning. In all honesty, I don't think she wanted to drop the album at all. In my opinion, she should have released it right away after the success with #Beautiful and while the album was practically done, she wanted to keep doing changes to some songs - she is a perfectionist after all. The album is great and I love most of the songs, it could have been a huge success, I mean, it debuted third, it simply dropped fast because there was no real live singing promo, when she presented YDKWTD it was already late, the special didn't help to boost and then the push back on Meteorite, it was worst. No spins on the radio (no money, no label support?), sad, because the album has great songs and it had great summer jams as well and beautiful slow songs. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 12:50)

At Mimi L. (46,088) by May from Denmark I always like your posts because you sound truly sincere and have straight forward opinions, you don't go around trying to add candy to what you have to say. I understand your frustration, I feel the same. I would have loved some special single remixes and a couple of videos. I was eager to hear more of Meteorite and other slower songs. But nothing happened yet. While I think Mariah taking time for herself, her kids and maybe side projects, I would have loved if she addressed her fans and told us what she is up to, where she is going or a simple note about what the future might hold, not even something extensive. She could simply give thanks for the unconditional support through the years and tell us to understand she needs some family time or whatever before hitting the tour. Simple and plain. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 12:41)

Mariah homely (46,087) by May from Denmark I'm sure Mariah's absence is definitely because she wants to spend quality time with her kids. If we go back a bit in time, after she released the album and did the first promos, she mentioned in an interview that one of the reasons she fired a nanny was because her kids were feeling too attached to the nanny rather than her. Mariah spent at times up to 18 hours inside the studio. She said she sent her kids from home to the studio at times so she would be able to see them and play with them, it was very hard for her. I'm sure she felt guilty and after the albums promo going nowhere due to her label limitations, she simply laid back and took advantage to be with her kids. We all know that all she has been doing mostly since she started being truly "elusive" was spending time with her kids, posting often pics of them and talking about them, which I think is great. She deserves the time to take easy, probably she wanted to just not release the album at all and first take some time to relax and then come as a hurricane, but it wasn't like that. I wouldn't be surprised if she is currently working on another project, but at her own pace and not with pressures or deadlines. When she pushed for the last date of her album, she mentioned that it was because the album had lots of things to be retouched and she convinced the label to give her more time. I love this current album but it's obvious it wasn't the right time. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 12:35)

Understanding The Beyoncé Project / MIAMTEC release (46,085) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I won't say Beyoncé didn't promote her eponymous album as much as she did her previous ones. I think she did, but in smarter, subtler, more unorthodox ways. 1) The woman kicked off 2013 by performing at the Superbowl. Of course Beyoncé wouldn't be released until December, but the publicity she generated with that huge stint was enough to last the whole year round. 2) Her dropping of buzz tracks, even thet didn't really do well, nevertheless heightened a sense of "will-she-or-won't-she" kind of anticipation for her new album. 3) She's married to Jay-Z. That pretty much guarantees her regular features on entertainment news shows, posts, and columns. 4) Lots of recording artists have surprise-dropped their new releases before, but she happened to be one of the first mainstream acts who did (and the most popular one at that), an extremely unconventional move. 5) Timing is everything, and in this case, it was brilliantly strategic, releasing at the last quarter where album sales always rise due to the holiday rush. The fact that she did it in the middle of the night days before the year ended adds a whole lotta intrigue. 6) People were just caught off guard. And overwhelmed. "Oh there's a new Beyoncé album. And celebs are tweeting about it. And it's getting rave reviews. And it's got all new material that includes none of her buzz singles. What the hell's a visual album? Oh, it's got a music video for every damn song. Oh, everyone's buying it. And it just broke world records. But there's no first single to sample it. Screw that, I gotta have it." It's this frenzied herd mentality that created a domino effect. You know you did everything right when people buy your expensive album out of intrigue alone. Katy was right, "B done broke the internet." 7) She opened the Grammys with a surprisingly low key performance. With no less than her husband. Really, I can get more analytical about this genius plan and there's no way it wasn't strategic. It may have been a huge risk that paid off better than anyone could've expected, but it was a calculated one. She can say it was because she was tired of the usual way albums were being released, or wants to sell albums and not just singles, or that it was a way to prevent leaks, which may very well be true, but doesn't change the fact that it was a middle finger to conventionality, and boy did it work bigtime. It was a masterclass in using shock value and deviance in modern marketing and promotion. If Mariah really was planning a similar release for MIAMTEC, she was doomed from the start and probably didn't fully understand what a Beyoncé-style release meant. 5 singles were already out and 3 of them made the album. A few release dates were already set, pushed back, and forgotten. Add to that the series of horrible events that preceded its release, along with Mariah's tainted image, this album never really had a chance. Shame, as it contains some of her best material in her entire career. Here's to moving on. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 11:00)

Appreciating Ariana or other artists (46,084) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay, it's not unbelievable that a Mariah fan can appreciate Ariana songs. Those two aren't mutually exclusive. I get that this is a Mariah board, but if we can discuss issues here about artists light years away from her caliber (Katy, Rihanna, etc.), I think it's fair to throw someone more talented in the mix, even if she's a "copycat". Though a lot of her music can be a blatant rip-off of Mariah's, we're just appreciating the girl's talent. We know it's nowhere near Mariah's which is why we also know she can't possibly replace someone who she's just not on the same level with. I'll always appreciate loyalty towards Mariah and recognize that we're entitled to our own opinions on anything, but I don't think it's fair to even somewhat insinuate that a person's musical preference is somehow bad or wrong. It's one thing not to like someone. It's another thing to question someone's preference if they don't share your opinion. Us supporting a "copycat" doesn't diminish our love for Mimi one bit. Besides, I think she's slowly trying to disassociate herself from Mariah. Unlike her debut, her newer songs are less similar to what Mimi normally does. She knows that eventually people should know her as Ariana Grande and not just some poor man's Mariah. And she may be the "it-girl" today, but only time will tell if she'll achieve longevity. We're just cutting her some slack because she's the most deserving of the bunch and I see no crime in that. Same goes with admiring other artists. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 7:54)

Stacey (46,083) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter I couldn't have described the situation better than you did. You made really good points and I agree with them. One main reason for my disappointment was that this album was supposedly so personal to her then why let it sink? Like you mentioned, she even put a very personal artwork on the CD, something she didn't do before and now commercially it will be her lowest selling album. Remember how she sometimes just refuses to acknowledge Glitter because it bombed (despite being a gem in its own right). That was one big dent in her career and she sometimes pretends that phase just didn't happen or she regrets it whatever, I didn't want the same for this album. Especially not with so many potential hits like Thirsty, Faded, YDKWTD, Money and so on. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 7:46)

Me I Am Stacey: The Elegant Bestower (46,082) by Will from Australia As a regular reader and somewhat less contributer to this board I just wanted to take the time to say that Stacey is an absolute pleasure and treasure to have on this board and as a fan. She always has so much class and dignity when addressing any conflicts of interest on here, with the innate ability to infuse the conversation with positivity. Well done Stacey, I don't know you personally but I think anyone that has you as a friend can count themselves blessed and dem babies of yours must be very proud of you. Right now my favourite MIAM song is Dedicated which is ironic as this post is dedicated to you. (Lovefest over lol.) (Sunday 17 August 2014; 6:21)

Absence of Mariah (46,081) by Otti from Belgium I remember when Mariah released an album, she was always in full force. You saw her everywere, talkshows, magazines, awards shows, radio. But with this album she did an appearance in NYC, the opening of the World Music Awards (but it has never been broadcasted), a tv interview with Matt Lauer, and then left the album for what it was. No videos, not talking about the album or songs, no interviews, no performances, no communication to the fans. That's not the Mariah that we used to know. But we asked for it. She was not ready for this album to be released. It's not her second album that we're talking about. She spoiled us with many beautiful albums the past 25 years. Give her a break. I know she is coming back like she always does. You can tell when she released the single #Beautiful last year, she was in shape, made a hot video, did several performances, she was in a good place. And #Beautiful went platinum. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 2:57)

MIAM and promotion (46,080) by Stacey from USA Simply stating you wish Mariah promoted MIAM is not whining. This album is that good and deserves to be heard. For whatever reason, MC has moved on. It's frustrating to many of us because when we listen to each track, there are so many potential hits that appeal to different markets (i.e. adult contemporary, R&B, hip-hop, etc.). I get wanting to get the album out to end a contract and move forward. What I don't get is her letting such hard work go to waste. This album is so personal to MC. She put a childhood drawing on the back cover. Listen to the songs like Camoflauge and Faded. You can tell she put her heart into this album. So why let people remember it as a flop? (And I'm not talking about Mariah fans.) Proper promotion (aka TEOM) would have helped sales. It bugs me this album isn't viewed among her great releases. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 1:26)

Stephen (46,078) by Stacey from USA Your latest posts make me respect and like you tons more, my friend. Some folks will never learn an opinion is just that: an opinion. It's not fact. It's how you see a situation. *sigh* Anyway, my latest jam getting a lot of attention of MIAM is Money. What's your favorite song at the moment? (Sunday 17 August 2014; 1:18)

10 Times Mariah lyrics blew your mind (46,077) by Pablo from Spain Just saw this link giving Mariah some major props for her songwriting and vocabulary. I thought the board could use some more light-hearted fare, so I'm sharing it. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 23:39)

RJJ12 (46,076) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter I agree with your post. Even if Beyonce didn't promote the album in the traditional way, she used the advantage of her somewhat innovative idea to boost sales and then went ahead and jumped on a tour. Not only that, she had 17 videos to accompany the songs, giving her enough time to keep people hooked while planning out her next move. Basically, the thing is Beyonce probably knew that her album wasn't that great so she used the shock value to get what she wanted and she succeeded. Her being considered the "reigning queen" of the music business currently caused the album to explode. And when the album was cooling down, now she is heating it up again by using controversial remixes using Kanye, Nicki and next is Rihanna. Mariah, trying to do the same was not going to work eitherways (like you already mentioned). I am not saying that Mariah should throw caution to the wind, write average songs and ride on gimmicks to get success. Beyonce is an entertainer, she can afford to release average songs and then take it to the top with her performances, because she can dance her way to the top. What makes Mariah famous is her voice, her song writing, so she needs to be seen out, singing her songs, in a convincing manner, and talking about what the album means to her, like she used to do before. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 23:05)

Abraham (46,075) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Bro, wouldn't hurt you to be nice. If you hate what you read, just simply move on from the message. The whole "the album is for the fans" point is invalid. A record label won't release an album "just for the fans". I didn't call her names. If you don't find it annoying and disrespectful that Mariah no longer addresses her fans, it's fine, must be great to be you. Just because I am (as you so nicely put it) "whining" doesn't make me any less of a fan than you. We all react to situations differently. I did not have one single complaint about the content of the album, Mariah was and always will be way above everyone when it comes to her songs. But excuse me if I find it annoying that she won't save her own hard work. A good 4 years worth of work. So no, please don't tell me how I should feel about it. You have your opinions, I have mine. I'll respect yours as long as you don't imply my posts are "whiny". (Saturday 16 August 2014; 22:54)

Mimi L (46,074) by Abraham from USA Girl please. I'm so tired of people whining and complaining about Mariah. "Where are the videos, promotion?" There are none. This album was just for the fans. It upsets me when people bash or call her names(lazy). She has a life outside music you know. Right now it's all about the next one. And I'm sure it's already in the works. I respect however Mariah decided to go through with the album. Obviously she wants to start fresh. If she hadn't released it, people would be whining. Now that she did, people are disappointed. Just because she didn't shoot any videos. Give me a break. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 21:52)

Mimi L (46,073) by 123 from USA Mariah wanted to pull a similar marketing strategy to Beyonce but got the plug pulled by the label. Beyonce has not promoted the album at all, sans the Grammy performance, hardly done interviews, and has rode the wave of shock that the release caused to have multiple successful tours. Mariah was hoping that by dropping the album all at once digitally would cause a stir and that the music would carry it's success. Unlike the Beyonce album, Mariah's was full of great songs from beginning to end. Unfortunately, the poor roll out and the label publically announcing the following day her Billboard interview was released that they would not be following her wishes was a big embarrassing blow. It's sad that she just dumped the project instead of working hard and clawing her way back to the top. Same thing happened with E=MC2 and MAOIA. They both had great songs but she didn't promote and the label chose the wrong singles. They though the shock of her shot gun wedding (Benny's idea, marketing her like JLo which failed), and her response to Eminem would be enough to build interest. The public doesn't have enough of an interest in her love life to make a career out of it, JLo, nor do they care about her beefing, Eminem to cause excitement. The public wants classic songs with great singing/live performances. That's what made her special and what made her famous. She needs to go back to that. She has the songs and vocals. but she needs to promote by singing live. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 21:29)

Anything but the truth (46,072) by Stephen from London, United Kingdom Read your first response to my initial post. Read your last response. Pick out the contradictions. Learn a lesson, and move on. I don't have the time, nor the inclination to deal with you and I'm not addressing you any further. You really seem to have issues, which are far beyond the ambit of this messageboard. Laters. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 21:09)

Mariah tour (46,071) by 123 from USA I'm glad she is touring somewhere with these new songs. I would love to see them performed live. I've seen her twice, once during the Adventures Tour in an arena and then gain during the MOAIA on Valentine's Day at the Chicago Theater. She will give you a mixture of performances, from fully lipped (Angel's Cry), to live except the high belts (It's A Wrap), to complete live versions of her classics (she came bursting through the doors sanging the bridge of Make It Happen live, with a vengeance, what vocal decline?). I enjoyed it and Asian fans, if you can go, make it happen. It's a real treat to see a legend in action. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 21:02)

The copycat vs. real singers (46,070) by 123 from USA I'm just shocked that an artist who has dissed Mariah and used her name to gain fame instead of her supposed talent is getting love on this board. When their manager tweets she is "the new Mariah Carey yeah I said it", her producers admit to going for the Mariah sound, even calling Walter to get that "Mariah sound". Never Forget You is ripped off in the form of Almost Is Never Enough, and when asked, she says her inspirations are Madonna and India Arie, yet your singing style is all Mariah and your YouTube videos are filled with Mariah songs, you get no love from me. Mariah praised Candace Glover and her cover of "Love Song" craps on anything the copycat has sung. Her performance is soul, it's emotion, it pulls you into a trance and you don't want to wake from. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 20:46)

What's going on? (46,069) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter So Beyonce is hiring one big name (and when I say big name, I mean currently popular) after the other for the remixes of her songs from the already widely popular album "Beyonce". Her album broke and set new records, she is on her second tour while dealing with this album (the first being when she was recording it) and oh-hello there she has a kid too and yet she is putting in effort to promote it and going all out on it. Really, as a fan of Mariah, I can't help but be more disappointed. Seriously Mariah where on earth are the music videos? No promotions at all? This isn't 1990s, just the name won't send the album up the charts. Heck even in 2005 she had to work hard to get the album out there. And please don't bother with the she has her priorities changed and she is a mom now. A lot of mega superstars are parents and they are doing just fine. Forget the superstars, regular people are juggling jobs, family crisis, financial problems and all and yet managing to keep their heads above water. And to add to all these, she is not addressing the fans even yet. What is going on? If there is a problem why not just tell the fans. Fine don't say what the problem is, just come out and say something, anything. I am sick of singles being announced and then forgotten, videos being made and abandoned and the sound of crickets from Mariah's side. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 20:38)

New music? (46,068) by Commodore from USA So recently Mariah tweeted a photo with the caption working all day with Big Jam so is she recording a new album? Or arrangements for a performance? Tbh E=MC2 though it wasn't her strongest album it actually was her strongest commercial album. Like it wasn't like she was trying too hard to compete with younger artists and she sounded like she was more relaxed and having fun with that album. If the poor singles choices didn't happen I bet she could've gotten 3 or 4 #1's. Migrate should've been after TMB, then Cruise Control, I'll Be Loving You Long Time as dual singles, then Bye Bye, Love Story as the final singles. MIAM is her best work but IMO the songs are not huge commercial singles but would still do ok on the charts if promoted. I'm not saying she should redo E=Mc2 but the playfulness of the album sets it apart from any of her albums to date. Lastly I feel she should do more songs like #Beautiful because it's a new sound for her and more mature for her age but can still attract younger gen without really trying. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 20:10)

"You Don't Know What to Do" video (46,067) by Eddie Childs from USA Fans, it looks as if there will not be a video for "You Don't Know What to Do" and another great performance of the song by Mariah. Can someone out there put a great mash up video on YouTube out there (using your iPhone) for us to enjoy. Better yet, we could get together and do a tribute video for "You Don't Know What to Do" because Mariah is making us and the world wait too long for the video. Maybe it would give her some inspiration. We can all add our part to the video and submit. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 18:09)

Eastern fans / Mariah's international success (46,064) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines First of all, I respect all fans out there. This is just my observation of most mainstream music acts and how they're generally recieved around the world so I hope this doesn't come across as bragging, especially since I'm Asian. I'll try to put this as objectively as possible. I believe a good reason why a lot of artists that tour around the world usually make sure they make a stop at Asia and Oceania and usually stay there for a while (other than keeping all their bases covered) is because of the extremely loyal nature of fans out here. Not to say fans in the west can't just be as loyal - they certainly can. It's just that fans from this side of the globe tend to be less critical and more supportive and appreciative of their idols. And if they are critical, they're more likely to shrug it off or forget about it at the drop of a hat. They're less swayed by whatever controversies their idols face and focus on their music instead. In fact, a lot of American and even UK acts that aren't that big in their own countries are better known (some even huge) in Asia and Australasia. iTunes chart stats worldwide often prove this, and in response, some artists reward their eastern fans with bonus tracks or exclusive content in their album releases (especially Japan). I think that's partly why Mariah is eyeing the orient as one of her definite tour spots. iTunes charts are very telling of her most fervent fanbases, and recently, those appear to be located in most Asian countries (particularly Eastern), several in South America as well as Africa, as well as Australasia. Where I'm from, I can say that almost every recent release of hers has pretty much shot straight to the top of the charts. I remember a lot fans lining up in front of the record stores to buy multiple copies of TEOM and E=MC2 back then, which is something as most Filipinos consider LPs expensive. As for her reputation, it's still pretty much intact. The younger people don't know her that well, but most still do and seem unfazed by all her diva antics and lip-synch controversies. She is still very much looked up to and her songs get regular airplay. It's safe to say Mariah's releases now do better internationally than in her homeland, which still is a good thing. The obvious problem though is that the western world still dictates who's hot and who's not. The UK and especially the US is what's considered "worldwide", and remain the authority in pop culture, especially in entertainment. I hope she finally catches a break and siezes the oppotunity to recapture these 2 major audiences and make a crack big enough to blow another successful era wide open. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 15:07)

The truth (46,063) by THE TRUTH from USA Stephen, I see that you don't even have the class to abide by the rules and refrain from using profanity which speaks to your lack of respect for the forum and its members. As to my avatar, what do you care? Does anybody on this forum really know the "truth" about what actually happened between Eminem and MC. Get over it everybody, you don't know the truth, only they do but do you really think either of them would have written Obsessed or The Answer if there wasn't much more to the story than you were fed by MCs publicity machine? Eminem is a lot of things besides being an incredible artist, he's someone who has never played games or minced words, MC on the other hand it goes without saying has been challenged in the are of, telling the "truth". As far as being vocal about my opinions, that's what democracy is all about but then Stephen is living in a monarchy. I guess you don't know much about that. It's pretty funny how you went from being all holier than thou and criticizing MC on a personal level as if you had any standing to do so and then when you were called out on it you got all on your high horse like you were defending her (give me a break). Anyway, I'v forgotten more about music and the business of music than you will ever know. Thank you. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 13:06)

Touring (46,062) by May from Denmark I would have love if she toured Europe again. So far only Asia, and let's face it, it's the only place where her album sold and peaked high along with most of her late singles, so it is understandable. I would go to see her if she came to Denmark but only because I've never been able to see her live, I used to live in another country years ago and she only went to that country only one time and just for a tv show, she didn't do any concert, etc. and I've never been in a position where I could travel to another country just to go to a concert haha. This time, if she came here I would definitely take the chance to go see her. But the question is the following, even if she does small venues in Europe and the US like she has been lately, will she sell any seat, if her album hardly sold? People didn't show interest in buying her album and late music, will they pay more for a seat to go see her? Apart from any hardcore or huge fan. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 11:17)

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